The Butterfly Effect
by holmesfreak1412
Summary: [RTN AU] An introspective take on the cliched concept of having the charming cassanova fall for the resident tsundere. Hard. Because as far as the butterflies in his stomach can soar, they merely aren't just stereotypes. CharasukeHinata
1. Catterpillar

**Title:** The Butterfly Effect

**Author:** holmesfreak1412

**Fandom**: Naruto: Road To Ninja AU

**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hinata (Charasuke x Bitch!Hinata)

**Genre:** Romance, Drama

**Rating:** T

**Summary**: [RTN AU] The Butterfly Effect is a curious thing, where a minor fluctuation causes a major alteration like butterflies from miles away seemingly creating typhoons. In which Uchiha Sasuke finds himself observing the changes Hyuuga Hinata undergoes over the years and thereby falling in love with Konoha's tsundere. Hard.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of the Naruto Franchise

**Author's Note:** An introspective take to the trope of RTN SasuHina. Lol. So obviously OOC. RTN day is opposite day after all. Confusing timeline perhaps as well as I only wrote this as I went without much thought. It's a nice experiment of instinctual writing though albeit a bit of hard to follow if one doesn't read between the lines. I'm sort of one with excessive subtlety and that hardly ever benefits my writing endeavors these days. I think I have to go for a nap.

Anyway, on with the story.

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**The Butterfly Effect**

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**ONE**

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They all say that she is a bitch.

As derogatory as that address is, that is something the Hyuuga who acted like she has a long stick shoved up on her plump, delicious ass, doesn't really bother arguing about.

She would have though. Hell, as fierce as she is, she should. And yet, like fully embracing what they branded her as, Hinata goes on with life like she wasn't the one the whole civilian populace feared and sometimes, even wished ill-will for being the spoiled brat that they didn't like seeing. She was the village's pariah then—a big bully to those that crossed her and the despised one who managed to escape from her wrongdoing just because she was the Hyuuga Princess. As she explained though, she has long since lost the urge to care about such trivial perception. "They were just stupid commoners!" she would grumble in complaint to those who murmur of her shortcoming behind cupped hands, with a fiery glare and gnashing teeth. Scary. "I don't really fucking care what you think about me! You were all beneath me!"

At a denotative derivation of her scathing repartee, it would have sounded as though she indeed was as much as the spoiled brat as most people hated her for—insensitive, badmouthed, prideful, a certified textbook bitch… But Uchiha Sasuke, in the years he spent observing the hime of his wet dreams, knew it was only her unique way of saying how she didn't really see the point of having herself react to degradation from those who didn't even know her. To her, it was downright pointless.

They all say regretfully that perhaps in another universe where things weren't as bad as they had torturously been, Hyuuga Hinata would have never been the girl Konoha saw as she was now—for small changes as this and that would have made a difference at the very least, right? That, it seemed was what everyone yearned to believe, when in lonesome introspection they would dwell on what wasn't and should be despite the futility of such thoughts. Wasteful as those was, the idea was a predominant topic within circles where people were less likely to rat out to the subjects that were to inevitably pummel the gossipers to death. Hinata, is more than frequently nailed as such case.

Seemingly without a life, they all ask themselves: how could she have been, had she not experienced what she did? If she still had her parents to guide her—her father especially? Far from the stereotypical tsundere with the bad mouth and ill temper, the Hyuuga heiress, they extrapolated, could have been the ideal princess the Hyuuga clan was expected to have. Long-haired, shoji-loving, aristocratic noblemen after all, were supposed to bear well-mannered, polite and graceful children who could go through a tedious tea ceremony like it was second nature. She should probably have extraordinary amount of patience in order to refrain from acting like the spoiled brat in public that she really was and never flaunt it away like she didn't care lest she cause the mar that would stain her image as The Princess. They said that perhaps, she wouldn't be that perpetually frowning, obnoxious bitch that they were unfortunately stuck with. She would have been a real princess…

Trained that way, feigning a smile while still holding that stoic countenance should have been an easy feat so as to never lose temper over the most trivial things and thereby proceed to be notorious for their ill-will and not-so-gentle-fist. She would have dressed accordingly as well, in dark, modest kimonos like a real lady should be seen in. During missions she would have only garb herself with the standard Chuunin vest that at least made her look more respectable and authoritative as a kunoichi. She would have been universally loved instead of feared. She would have been Konoha's little angel. For blessed with a pleasant cherubic face and heavenly hair like that, it would have been fairly conceivable to easily be perceived as the resident sweetheart. And yet these were the several things, Hyuuga Hinata was not. If only her father didn't die actually, Hinata would have at least been more positively popular to those who didn't bother to know her well. But then again, being something like the much revered and well-loved Sakura, was not the foremost priority in Hinata's mind.

They all said Sakura was such a nice young lady… unlike Hinata.

Hinata, for as long as Uchiha Sasuke could remember, had blatantly resented the hero's daughter's guts. It was, after all, hardly the biggest secret.

When it started, nobody knew. The ferocious rivalry between the two girls was just something that seemed to have popped out of nowhere ever since the academy days, with Hinata seething at Sakura without much subtlety, much to the "poor" pink-haired girl's fearful cowering. Hinata had been less vocal about it back then though, preferring to be the angst-ridden brat that glared at everyone, kept to herself, trained like there was no tomorrow and conclusively excel in everything she did. While indeed, she wasn't really classified as a one-in-a-million genius, she showed enough promise to be admirable. Her determination and confidence was commendable. And it showed in every vein that popped on her temple during times you wouldn't want to be in proximity with her. In Iruka's words, Hinata would have been rookie of the year. If only she showed more willingness in cooperation and stuff that involved getting close to people that avoided her like plague, the spot wouldn't have been taken by Sasuke. But nevertheless Hinata was the ideal shinobi—aggressive and hellbent: a dangerous combination. Why she hated dead-last, gentle, untalented Sakura who only managed to enroll herself in the shinobi lifestyle because of her heritage, was anybody's guess though. To people, it certainly sounded irrational. How could someone hate this kindhearted, well-meaning, legacy the Fourth Hokage left, with such passion?

This animosity, for bold in tongue as she had grown to be, was something she didn't attempt to hide.

Sakura, on one hand had long since decided it for the norm and consequently ended up shrugging the matter off.

Sasuke would eventually learn that to Hinata, that was the point. Everybody practically forgave Sakura for not trying hard as a ninja, meanwhile putting her on a higher pedestal effortlessly from her part just because of her position as the hero's daughter while Hinata herself was trying so hard, only for others to put her sweat down the drain of the unacknowledged. To them, Sakura's reluctance for battle was wholly understandable—because didn't she lose her parents on a particularly hard one? Hinata's anger, on the other hand, was something the village didn't condone and instead went as far as to use against her. Her father died for the village as well… but with the hush, hush going on around Konoha, nobody even cared. Because, they said that it was her fault. Right? Taken for granted and immediately the black sheep, Hinata could only go as far as fit in the stereotype she was pigeonholed into and finally succumb to abhorring the goody-two-shoes who, despite what the report card said in her favor, was always seen as someone she should have aspired to.

Hinata had not always been like this.

She used to be the shy, cute mouse of a girl with the permanent blush that any mother would have squealed upon seeing—exactly the little girl expected to grow up as the perfect wife for their sons. Sasuke knew. Mikoto used to gush about the cute Hyuuga heiress with the stutter like his most ridiculous fangirl. He did meet her once like that when they were seven after all… before ultimately, the tides of life put her precariously into the crest of alteration and for what seemed like overnight to the hugely unprepared mass, she had changed.

Forever gone was the cultured Hyuuga princess. In her place, was a confused, angry, young girl who didn't understand why her own father had to die because she had let herself be kidnapped by some bunch of greedy Cloud-nins. Why was she just too weak at the time when she was already seven and should have been able to use Jyuuken like Neji could? To make things worse, she thought it was only appropriate for her to blame herself because she imagined others did as well. It was a silly notion but it did some miracles.

To this day, Sasuke can't see what had been so great with Sakura for people to be blinded away from Hinata's more than inspiring transformation. She was really quite a catch and she already was interesting even before that. From henceforth since what must be her life-changing epiphany, Hinata had made it an oath to no longer be a mere pushover just because she "unfortunately" looked like one. Shedding her wallflower skin, she became the scary cool kid no one would dare mess with, for her furious glare and fighting prowess was sufficient to chill one's spine. This time, unlike when she was as a child, she would never be an easy target. But then again, even that Dutch courage she got from so much anger was merely a collapsible façade. Maybe the time would come when it would inevitably crack, the brave mask melting away at the face of her fears. As conceited as he is, Sasuke often finds himself regarding the prospect of this rather selfishly appealing in context, something he can almost look forward to. Vulnerable Hinata is a concept that had been virtually unheard of ever since forever but that makes the idea of being a shoulder to cry on all the more melodramatically beautiful. She is no less silk as Ino is immediately judged to be so perhaps when he is there when she breaks, she would finally notice.

He likes to think that amidst the hard, formidable exterior she puts up to hide the more vulnerable side of her, she still retained a soft spot.

He doesn't know exactly when he started to feel that way about his koneko-chan actually—the fast beating of his heart whenever she defies her stereotype, the overwhelming, almost self- destructive desire to please her in the most unorthodox ways and even his overall toleration of her bodily abuse. But like a spell cast by fate that bonded soulmates together (for Sasuke is a romanticized person, thank you very much), it just happened. Why? Well, it just is.

He'd like to think it was probably when the first time they met, two little kids awkwardly being introduced as future allies as if they cared about being huge assholes when they grow up while having the more tantalizing idea of playtime. But that was too much of a cliché. They were never betrothed too. Although sometimes, he wished they were. He wouldn't have been the man he was now whilst he was pledged to his dearest.

Love at first sight is one of the romantic legends Sasuke wouldn't be overly reluctant to be applied to himself when it came to Hinata, as it would only prove to him how perfect they secretly are for each other, however apparently besotted she is for another. But as far as he is honestly concerned, that is far from the truth of the matter. Hinata as a child was admittedly pretty unmemorable and plainly insignificant with her uncanny ability to shapeshift and pretend she was the wall—precisely the reason why nobody outside her inner circle took her changes from the well-mannered shy to the angry bitch, remarkable. In the entire duration of their family's meeting when they were four, Hinata spent the time being as uninteresting as she could, obviously not wanting to draw attention to her person and went on hiding around posts the whole time that Sasuke, as tenacious as he was, eventually gave up coaxing her to play ninja. She blushed a lot that she would have almost looked cute if she wasn't just so pathetic in her endless stuttering. And what's more? She was so enamored in getting away she didn't even seem to notice he preferred being annoyed by her than consumed by the boredom of solitude! Sasuke wasn't so much of a big flirt back then to see her obliviousness to his charms as a challenge though. He didn't even know what it would do to his ego yet. I mean, come on. He was just four!

"Hey..." he had whined sulkily, seriously having enough of this game that wasn't even close to hide and seek since he knew exactly where she was. Seriously? "I don't really get why you're hiding like that from me. I don't bite… you know."

That was no good though.

That time, he remembers being a complete textbook jerk to her when she continued to be hugely unresponsive to his considerably friendly advances, pulling her hair out because it was shorter than his and all stuff she obviously didn't appreciate. But infuriating her with his new skills he got from the idiot Itachi-nii had gotten him nowhere because she had as much patience like the infallible Kami himself, sulking only in the corner instead of chasing him around with wildly flailing arms as he had hoped. She probably thought that would be wholly unlady-like. Later, she hadn't been as lenient to his punishment for his "impertinence" as The One Above though, unfortunately which caused him to snort derisively as he kept on badgering her with senseless antics. Stupid Hyuuga bitches who thought they were higher than the rest. Before they bid goodbye, he told her right out how stupid she was and that he would dread being in the same room with her ever again. She had big, fat tears in her wide, opalescent eyes at the time. Gladly though, he wasn't there long enough to witness what would likely be a crying episode, like every stupid girl would do after being franked upon. In retrospect, this was probably the reason why she never gave him the time of the day, even after proclaiming how he would willingly abandon his flock of girls to give her his life. Everyone knows the tsundere sure do hold the most grudges. Sasuke, it seems was of no exception.

Even back then, when she was still just that stuttering, flustered mess behind the Doric post, she treated him in the simple manner of not having him separated from the rest. Civil. Polite. With the necessary niceties that was her disposition. To her, he was just another person. Nothing special.

Today, she was as sarcastic to him as she was to everyone else.

But no, it wasn't love at first sight.

Her being different from the screaming banshees he had as "fangirls" was by no means an instant point in favor for his affections from her part. Sure, it was true that girls of her more headstrong kind were few but they weren't as rare as he would have preferred to think. What made her tick then when he had so blatantly decided she wasn't worthy of his passing glance in their first, disastrous get-together? Even his own parents thought so, or else, why would they refuse Hyuuga Hiashi's proposition for a betrothal between their children? Already, despite being the legal heiress of the clan, she had been deemed too weak, too gentle to be leading their prestigious clan. Definitely far from the wife material the ambitious Fugaku would seek for his pampered, younger son.

When she had finally changed for the better though, it was too late to get her back. The now headless Hyuuga clan was too busy of their own sorrows at Hiashi's less-than-noble death at the grubby hands of the Raikage's cohorts, to be interested with the Uchiha's attempts of a merger. Hinata herself, had grown enough spine to not be easily ordered around into an unwanted arrangement anyway. Morphing into a real Hyuuga was the signal for her to finally refrain from being the deplorable someone who let boys pull her hair and tell her she was stupid. She learned to hate as she in turn, was hated as well.

Not that Sasuke noticed all of that at the time though. He didn't even know she was kidnapped! Back then, he wasn't as in love with her as he is now so, one should understand, that he didn't care as of yet about the weird girl with the stupid bob-cut hair, right?

The next time he saw her again was during her father's funeral when without a corpse to mourn, the Hyuuga clan only relented on pouring their grief on a mere memorial stone, not only for a great clan head's untimely demise but more so for the loss of the Byakugan forever to the hands of those vile men who wanted it for their benefit. Hinata wasn't allowed to attend, lest she risk herself being a "burden" again and get herself harmed in ways that brought more consequences for her safety to be worth it. But she was there anyway, standing away from the crowd so as not to gain the attention she never wanted. Her head was downcast, teeth gritting and fists clenched. Her eyes were empty, because she knew everyone thought it was her fault. They said, Konoha was now in grave danger because of her. They said she was useless. Ostracized already because of something that was beyond any seven-year-old's control, they said she was to be eternally doomed.

This time around though as he calmly regarded the Hyuuga heiress from the tree obscuring her from the sight of her all-seeing relatives, Sasuke didn't dare fault her once for hiding.

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**I adore reading RTN fics, even though the movie itself isn't very worth seeing. As I myself is pretty stimulated from all the laughs I am getting from this couple, well I decided to create a more angst-based RTN fic. (LOL. I know I have peculiar ways of coping with inspirations). I have the plot (which is little) pretty much mapped so I can continue this every time I have breaks in between my studies. But it could be hugely confusing and subtle so let me know if I have to stop this in order to polish my writing style further (which might be never since I am not very fond of my English). Things should spice up in the next chapter but for now, I would address my version of how Hinata is in here. Tsunderes, after all are always one who just desired attention. :D**

**I changed a lot of things in here (obviously) so as to fit in the character's background. So please do not be harsh about the alter-story. XD**

**Menma will appear in the next chappie. I love him actually so I seek to explain something about his character for once. He was very much sadly, unexplored. **

**Please review and tell me what you think. Suggestions are welcome as well. **


	2. Butterfly

**Yay! I am really grateful for the reviews I got so far. Most of which had been pleasantly encouraging and its nice to be complimented by my favorite authors once in a while. I am just another fanfiction fangirl after all. XD. I didn't think much of this fanfic actually since as I said, I write this as I go. Like: immediately off the press without any thoughts about any significant plot. Except that at the very least, I have some ideas. But as I said, I unfortunately am not very serious about this work. Truthfully, it's more like an essay for me that I write whenever an equation in my Math class got too unmanageable *sweatdrops.**

**I think the RTN universe is the almost-canon manifestation of every Naruto AU fanfiction's dream's. It's practically blatant fanservice. For one, it's nonmassacre. Naruto's parents are alive. Sakura's aren't. Sasuke's good. Naruto's bad. So to me it does make sense that since Sasuke didn't have the sorry past that had made him mentally unstable in canon, it was only reasonable that some things may as well have changed with regards to the other characters too. So I opted to not make it congenital. Lol. I think I would write a story with an actual discernible plot someday through this (with a lot of action and stuff) but for now, well I am too unimaginative for that. Sorry. **

** TWO**

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He resolved to always seek her though, even when after a long while of verbal demeaning and familial isolation, she was inevitably driven out of the security shell her once shy, untainted demeanor unhelpfully set up. Finally, there was fate forcing her hand to just stop hiding, the awakened desire of being someone other than the Hyuuga pushover that was subject to castration and thereby probe her way towards the spotlight.

And thus born the village bitch. Hyuuga Hinata.

Like an unsightly caterpillar sleeping off its habitat's hardship to ultimately become a full-grown, beautiful butterfly… Like the gentle breeze of the wind morphing away into a whirlwind of a destructive cyclone when the hot and cold in the world proved to be too much… Like a small being flapping its wings with the ferocity of one who wants to cause a calamity… It was a big racket when Hinata suddenly shed off that ugly tan jacket of hers and resorted onto training with a more suitable albeit rather liberated attire. It was a grating noise when she finally transformed into an outspoken no-nonsense girl and totally renounced the perks she once had as a quiet wallflower. It was a shocking change when she actually started to face the ridicule they all gave her for being weak once upon a time and not bow her head down. Heads rolled after that and in her newly-gained aggression, she was very determined not to have hers to be one of them.

Sasuke is not really certain when he started to look at her in that light—so what if her perseverance for change was awe-inspiring? Surely, she was not the only one. Sakura herself, as gentle and unwilling to kill as she was, was hellbent on trying to be more than just the hero's daughter, more than just the only living Haruno. Tenten was a big klutz in weapon-handling but she still tried anyway. Even Ino had started to hang out with boys from her neighborhood just to overcome her aversion of them. And let us not get started about Menma, who was just so power-hungry you would think he was dreaming for more than just the Hokage position his talented father was, as he had insistently said, deprived of. The drive for betterment was by no means an unheard-of concept in the shinobi world after all. For what was life in their society but merely that one of the Red Queen's, when you run faster over time just to stay in the same place? A good ninja thrived in ambition and everyone; even the most lackadaisical of the bunch have their share of these predetermined bullseye and finish lines. What then made Hyuuga Hinata who as expected, only wanted to become a great clan leader nobody wanted her to be, any different from the next typical tenacious bloke?

"You know well I'm beautiful, right Sasuke?" she would say this when the promiscuous him would lightly confront her of her supposed uniqueness in the streets, while twirling a strand of her luxurious hair and wearing a smug smirk that was ever present in her what-should-have-been-angelic features. This was her uncanny way of warding off his incessant flirting—agreeing with his compliment like she was surprised he didn't notice it a long, long time ago, unlike those stupid girls that squealed and go all over him upon hearing a praise he didn't even mean. "We all know I'm too pretty for you people. And that makes me different! Oh, precisely the reason you guys isolate me too!" she would holler this exultantly then whilst shoving him away and resuming her leisurely walk before he had ungraciously interrupted her. This, was all but an invariable routine.

Sixteen only and she acted like she owned the whole world, which she only reasoned to be might as well because she would end up being the future Hokage's wife anyway. Like the loudmouth, bold, literally see-through girl that she was, her hots for Menma was not really classified information to those interested (which was practically everybody) and she herself was one without qualms in scaring off anyone who would dare cross her path in love. Sasuke didn't really mind that though, as much as he himself carried a torch for her all these years. He had long since diagnosed himself a masochist because of that aspect. Love hurts after all. Maybe, he had also already come to accept it would never turn out otherwise. That was going on and on since they turned thirteen and even that was am aspect he found himself not wanting to alter any sooner. There was just something captivating about Hinata not being like any other and even though he knew well that the affections he wanted was only reserved to another's, he could easily accept that to him, Hyuuga Hinata was forever just a nice thing to look at. Like an unreachable star. Like a poisonous butterfly an unnoticed frog prince like him was prohibited to keep to himself. Like a girl who didn't even care about his existence.

That aside though, she was the most beautiful little thing.

Like every metamorphosis in nature was the most fascinating phenomenon to behold, Sasuke watched her avidly.

In retrospect indeed as he came to think more of it, her change wasn't entirely a drastic thing that could have shocked everyone out of their wits and cause Iruka to recommend her immediately to those who practiced exorcism (err, the Yamanaka clan ringing any bells?). Rather in a more gradual sense, the quiet girl slowly turned into the taciturn one burdened with angst: civil and nonchalant in her regard to her peers while emitting a dark aura that kept any sensible human life out. That in itself, was deemed just perfectly understandable. She had just lost her father, right? And worse, it was supposed to be her fault! Being shinobis-in-training, this kind of vengeful mentality was easily tolerated for it only made way to a much better killing machine. And yeah, ninjas weren't very fond of shrinks as well despite the theoretical reality that it could have spared them many a world war if only the psychos from back then got some help. (Believe it or not, many a battle was waged just because of a single man going bonkers)

The outspoken, pummeling phase had then come at the wake of her increasing brawls against those who label her as her clan's shame, thereby proving that yes, they were all beneath her and no, she was no longer a pushover. Her anti-Sakura movement was then founded after she was castrated based of those violent actions committed on supposedly defenseless civilian kids, with the village hating her guts as they zealously revel over Sakura's. Eight-year old Sasuke could tell that those who were closer to this molten lava (because well, she was too much of a scorching hot-blood to be an ice princess) were beginning to worry about her. He had caught that older Hyuuga dude from the other class spying on her after all, probably tasked into it by his then in-charge, father into watching their precious heiress. Unfortunately, the white-eyed, girly freak with the immaculate long hair and the ridiculous-looking headband seemed to enjoy this voyeurism more than he should, particularly those ones wherein he was required to see through the girl's locker rooms. He couldn't even hold back his ecstatic giggles when he did that!

That guy was the other class' Rookie of the Year.

Was this world of theirs really that mucked up or what?

Hinata was indeed quite a looker though, if he may so, and that was how Neji's apparent incest ideas for his little cousin was pretty much blameless. Even those who actively despised her could begrudgingly testify that Hyuuga Hinata had grown up well enough to fulfill the promise of beauty her aristocratic Hyuuga ancestry promised. It helped as well that she was one who effortlessly flaunted it like nobody's business without being all too overbearing for his preferences.

And perhaps that was why Sasuke was drawn to her in the first place for he was a very healthy man, thank you very much and as the whole village knew, he appreciated cute girls with personality more than anything. The rest of the reasons, were probably just excuses to justify his attraction to the girl he could never have and his inclination to prove himself different to those shallow fanboys she herself had acquired over the years. Far from viewing her as the challenge of the lifetime, he saw her as the unattainable he shouldn't bother with. She was after all, Menma's.

She made that clear several times, starting the academy days.

Her infatuation for Namikaze Menma was another factor for the general mass to classify her as the odd ball of the team, what with her making cute eyes on another school freak who thought being all angsty wannabe guy suited well with his genetic brilliant crayon-blond hair and bright blue eyes that instead only succeeded on projecting a more happy=go lucky version of him. He wasn't though. Not really and to be honest, far from it. Happy, that is. Menma obviously got some real issues in the head— with all his desire to acquire power and such drivel that he even began to dye his hair black just to look the part of being seriously driven about this endeavor. To no avail. Because the bad boy look doesn't do him justice as much as Sasuke could pull it off? Indeed. Instead of being taken seriously, he only appeared more ridiculous every passing minute as his attempt of emulating the Shodaime Uchiha Madara's mortal enemy, Senju Hashirama, grew more persistent over time. But bar those eccentricities he only probably got from his sensei, the promoter of hatred Jiraiya, Menma was over all a great guy. He was the closest thing Sasuke got for a friend, if you give the guy a break and remember that he knew how to smile once in a while too once he forgot he was supposed to be some badass Hokage or something like that. And Hinata was still his number-one fan and perhaps, his only.

That was why; Sasuke decided he would gladly hand his beloved tsundere to the guy anytime. His troubled friend deserved some fist to bonk his head into sanity for the rest of his life after all. Maybe, it would only be a matter of time for all those wonderful things Sasuke noticed about Hinata to finally get through his thick "avenger" head. And finally, stop being so hung up over the gentle, loving, _boringunspecialnumberoneSasukesecretfangirl, _Sakura who, by the way once avoided Menma like plague until they were placed in the same team. Lovely.

Sasuke could still remember that day…

Birds chirping… The winds of change blowing… Thirty genin hopefuls sitting confidently in their seats never having the hunch of how life can be so cruel…

"Tch. What do you expect of me? Run a three-man freak show? Tracking team, my butt. " Hinata scoffed in displeasure, thin elegant eyebrows twitching in barely-suppressed annoyance. "Cat-shaman and bug-crusher? Wow.. The village bitch couldn't ask for more, eh?. Oi. Iruka! If you ever dare stick me to some old pervert for a sensei! I swear I will come at night and kill you! And then I will resurrect you to kill you again! And then I will feed you carcass to baka-Akamaru to join the Aburame's dead bugs. And I will kill Akamaru to feed him to Shikamaru. And—"

Well, you get the idea. By this time as everybody else zoned out the threats that weren't so empty if you come to think of it, it seemed better to hear less.

"As if! It's not like we want you too eh.. Hi-Na-Ta." Kiba snorted, obviously feeling clever. "Although that kind of thing is going to be subject for correction since I really agree that Akamaru is stupid. Bakamaru it is! Haha! That ugly mutt. Cats are sooooo much more adorable. Meow."

"I hate my teammates. They might bug for the rest of my life." A pause. In which everybody knew what to expect. "And I hate bugs." See? To Shino, that was reason enough to everything. No logic, whatsoever.

"Hn. I sure do hope you are not planning me to get stuck with the playboy, Iruka-sensei." Menma whined in monotone, eyes boring disinterestedly to the badass, perverted teacher. Such stoic countenance didn't go well with his sunflower colors. It only succeeded on making him look like he had a cold. "He's only going to be a hindrance and you know, I have better things to do than be dragged around in stupid dates with some duckbutt who might as well be a homo."

"Ha! Menma is afraid I am going to steal someone special from him?" Sasuke's voice was usual was intentionally breathless. Or maybe husky was the perfect word. Hinata only thought it sounded too forced in him, like hearing someone desperately flirting to a marathon reporter after running five miles nonstop. It was understandable, you see— how she thought he was to be avoided in all might. Poor Sasuke. "But you know I don't have to. She practically goes to me. Right eh, Sakura?"

"S-Sasuke-kun!"

"Ehhh…" A voice said in wonder, its owner looking dazed and wide-eyed. The perks of being stoned all day really. The stupid becomes stupider. "The other teams sure fight a lot."

"Hm. This is troublesome. Heh. I think they're just a bunch of mismatched misfits." Quite an observation. Although it was more like stating the obvious that nobody wanted to acknowledge. And through that, Akimichi Chouji was immediately the class genius.

"Eh? Chouji-kun t-that's rude!" Blushing ensues. Fingers poked together. The epitome of the traditional anime shy girl. Why Charasuke wasn't attracted to her in any significant way was only a question of preference. Uchiha men liked their girls dark-haired. And looking like Mikoto. Or maybe that was just him? Oediphus Complex on the prowl? "I'm s-sure they will m-manage just f-fine."

Those were the good times, when life wasn't so perilous just yet so as to turn everyone's world upside down. When Menma wasn't some psychopathic masked guy. When Sakura was still secretly in love with Sasuke and not think him vile for his lecherous ways. When Sasuke wasn't having second thoughts about the choices he made yet. When Kiba and Shino didn't realize they like each other way too much. When Team 10 wasn't disbanded yet because of untimely deaths …

These were one of the old times really. When Hinata only had a small childish infatuation with the unique blond guy that could have dissolved at any moment…. When she wasn't just yet obsessively in love with the idea of him… When she wasn't crying because like the last time somebody died in front of her, she couldn't do anything… When Sasuke could freely watch her without questioning himself: why again did I fall in love with her?

And: why could she never love me back?

Speaking of such oddities, their teachers didn't fare much better.

Kurenai was some sort of witch who thought she could mindfuck everyone. Genjutsu specialist, my ass. She basically was only a voodoo practitioner. Probably why her team was dubbed the craziest. Asuma was an anti-smoking advocate, close-fisted miser who ironically had lung cancer before being killed by someone who had a heart penchant. And let us not begin with Gai-sensei, who was just a lackluster, unenergetic, unenthusiastic… pervert. (Everybody knows that the Bushy Brows sensei is quite a notable subscriber of the Icha Icha Series so if you are smart, it would make sense that two of his team are certified fans of bathhouses peepholes and that with his overall reluctance to move, Tenten was just inadequate). But indeed in all their eccentricity, those others of the rookies had been quite lucky. Team Seven, unfortunately wasn't so.

When one was stuck with a "youthful" teacher who used his transplanted sharingan way too much to be useful when the imperative comes, there sure was bound to be trouble.

Hatake Kakashi fainting right away after Momochi Zabuza showed himself on the way to Takigakure was proof enough of his inadequacy during the times of need, leaving only his less-than-experienced students to hope that a Fuma Shuriken and a few of Menma's obnoxious kage bunshin could penetrate the water shield of some sorts that restrained the rather useless jonin. That time, the eccentric masked man who was somehow a devotee of some religion called Springtime of Youth, only served as a cheerleader, reminding them that dying in their first official C-rank mission wouldn't earn them a place in that honorable tombstone he loved so much. At least though, these motivation did comprise of helpful hints and coaching that made you wonder whether he really valued self-reliance as much as they were insisted to be subtly taught to their students. In the end though, Kakashi's strategic plans ended up being foiled by none other than the enemy himself. What would one expect anyway? When you were practically screaming your game plan over the opponent's earshot, it would only be reasonable for one to anticipate a more than worthy counterattack. Zabuza wasn't a very smart guy. But he sure was smarter than Kakashi.

Only blunt force managed to get them out of that situation. With an immobilized jonin and two genins who didn't even know how to control their own chakra just yet, some part of Menma must have taken it all in as a sign that being an honest, goody-goody ninja was hopeless for his I-want-to-be-a-badass-Hokage course. Red eyes had flared menacingly like a bad omen and amidst the massacre that ensued after Menma's unleashed, uncontrollable rampage in both Gato's men and the two missing Kiri-nin, it obviously wasn't anybody's sharingan.

Suddenly, Menma's longtime ambition to be like the notorious Senju Hashirama didn't seem so farfetched. But as a lover of "youth", Kakashi only concluded that the Namikaze's apparent psychotic episode that resulted to the deaths of even their charge wasn't worth of note for future references, saying that it was only evidence that with this unlocked power to protect those that he held dear, Menma was really skyrocketing at the top of his Springtime of Youth. With such hero-worship and still lingering respect for his authority, Sasuke and Sakura had immediately accepted this explanation, unaware of the repercussions of having their teammate supposedly "control" such power would cause.

Nobody told Menma that letting the beast take over was wrong. Nobody told Menma that wanting power could be this bad. Nobody regretted all of these until it were too late.

Not even her. Hinata. Who watched Menma's growth more than anyone.

If only, they had paid attention to the littlest things… if only there wasn't such a thing as the butterfly effect… if only they knew Menma would be like this…

Well, Sasuke shrugged gratefully. SasuHina wouldn't have been possible. Yay! Squeal. Woohoo! So much drama!

I told you, that guy was hopeless.

As far as experiences go, their first Chuunin exams was easily what everyone in the Rookie Nine seemed to regard as their life's turning point, a quick escalation from their monotonous everyday to a much more dangerous path as young shinobis. Lifelong bonds were made as bones were broken; like a measly sacrifice for a greater gain. Like blood compensation was for a trusted summoned ally. To this day, Sasuke thinks that being beaten to a pulp by that perpetually smiling Gaara and having Menma bonk the malevolent Hinata some sense as he proved that she wasn't the only one with hate, had been worthy in the long run, In such battles waged and duels held, the twelve Konoha Rookies along with the rather unusual siblings from Sand became much more than just awkward batchmates that somehow ended up being opponents at one point. Somewhere along the line around Neji's defeat over his completely changed cousin (this was the point one would wonder why even the pervert who watched her when she bathed was surprisingly, well surprised of the most obvious thing) and Hinata's epiphany that Menma was really quite a catch for defeating even her anger (which she thought would be her greatest weapon), the Konoha Eleven became people who could count on each other at any time. Sasuke, at the very least could boastfully pride to have learned a thing or two about himself than just those tidbits of information he had gathered from promiscuously flirting with the rest of the pretty females in the exams added together. And Hinata… Well, she was a reformed woman after that.

Loving Menma was a life-changing turnabout for her, if indeed such a masochistic basis for her soon-to-be overwhelmingly obsessive attraction to the Namikaze could ever be justified into a romantic emotion. She wasn't the typical infatuated fangirl after that, latching on Menma as if being cunningly punched amidst the eyes of a crowd set on humiliating her meant she somehow owned him in a way. On the bright side, Sasuke got to see more of her as it became a regular thing for her to suddenly appear around the corner and cling around Menma who by the way, didn't even have the slightest idea how much he had just changed her life. The blonde dimwit was quite accepting of the attention though, considering that before everything else, he had none from those people who practically treated as they would a dirt. In fact, he tolerated her enough that she began to get some hopes up. And Hinata with even only a pseudo possession was well, quite violent. Menma, had always been one who sincerely appreciated action after all. Seriously, that guy was sickly masochistic. Sasuke should have known.

Sasuke was well aware that his so-called bestfriend had been kind of cruelly leading the tsundere on, smirking at her suggestively like she was someone special when everyone else knew he only had eyes for the Sakura since forever. True to the cliché these two were: the bad boy wannabe falling for the good girl while pretending to date the notoriously popular cheerleader, bitchy type. But Sasuke couldn't say much against the notion as he himself had been abusing his own kekkei genkai in giving countless, nameless girls left-handed compliments in order to fit in his own stereotype. Pathetic he was indeed. But in his defense, he only wanted to be together with the girl who could resist his superficial charms like those shoujo mangas always ended up being. They never told one though that life could be infinitely be more complicated than just a boy-meets-girl concept. Sasuke, despite being the romanticized man who secretly sobbed in bliss after watching his favorite Saturday Night Primetime episodes, was disappointed of this lack of straightforward simplicity in his life.

For Hinata loved Menma. And as much as Sasuke would have preferred it not to, it frighteningly only made things rather sensible. And infinitely, more complicated.

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**Meh, That came out real lighthearted but I only wrote this in under three hours so erm, umm… (somehow, I believe this is not an excuse). So… Anyway, please review. And yeah, suggestions are very welcome. XD And please tell me if the lack of dialogue had been too much. I don't know what to do with myself but I'm just not a foremost expert with this kind of things. **

**Next chapter should explain Sasuke himself. Please just treat this as a series of character studies of sorts. Tch. And yeah, I would be introducing the plot soon so hang on with me guys for this excessively lengthy prologue. Thanks for your support. **

**Review :D**


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